The relationship between nutritional knowledge and practice with nutrition counseling and education in adult athletes in Ahvaz, 2017

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between nutritional knowledge and practice with nutrition counseling and education in adult athletes in Ahvaz, 2017 Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 550 male and female athletes were randomly selected from 4 regions in Ahvaz, Iran. A questionnaire, including demographic information, sport information sources, nutritional knowledge and practice level, was filled by athletes. Chi-square and Pearson tests were used to examine the relationship between the qualitative and quantitative variables, respectively. Independent sample t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to compare the mean differences between two or several groups, respectively. Results: Of the 11.8% of athletes who received nutrition counseling, 43.2% actively obtained nutritional information, including the contribution of coach (19.2%), internet (12%), nutritionists (9.2%), and family 3.8%. The mean score for knowledge and nutritional practice were 29.5 ± 5.36 and 10.69 ± 2.04 in men and 29.65 ± 3.96 and 10.95 ± 1.8, in women respectively. The mean score for knowledge and practice were significantly higher in subjects who received nutrition counseling (p <0.001). The highest score for knowledge and practice were reported among bodybuilders. There was a direct and positive correlation between nutrition knowledge (P = 0.01, correlation coefficient = 0.1) and nutritional practice (P = 0.003, correlation coefficient = 0.12) and educational level. The knowledge level and practice increased positively with increase in age (p = 0.001, correlation coefficient = 0.15). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that the knowledge and practice of athletes may be increased through providing appropriate nutritional counseling and increasing of the education level.